Method of preparing flavored coffees using reduced amount of flavorant

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides to a method of preparing a flavored coffee using reduced amount of flavorant, and a coffee composition used for preparing such flavored coffee. An amount of colorant is used to replace up to 20.1% by weight of the flavorant present in a flavored coffee beverage. The flavor perception of the coffee beverage containing reduced amount of flavorant is equivalent to that of the original coffee beverage containing regular amount of flavorant.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a method of preparing aflavored coffee, and more particularly, relates to a method of preparinga flavored coffee using reduced amount of flavorant, and a coffeecomposition used for preparing such flavored coffee.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A flavorant is typically added to a food or drink to impart a desiredflavor into the food or drink. However, the larger the amount offlavorant used, the more “unnatural” or “artificial” will be theconsumer's perception of the flavor of the food or drink. Moreover,using a larger amount of flavorant is not cost-effective either.

Thus, there exists a need for a method of preparing a flavoredfood/drink, such as coffee, using a reduced amount of flavorant, but notat the cost of decreasing the consumer's perceived acceptabilityassociated with the flavor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide method of preparinga coffee beverage using reduced amount of flavorant, but still giving a“full” flavor perception.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a coffeecomposition comprising a roasted and ground coffee and a reduced amountof flavorant, which, upon brewing, produces a coffee beverage having a“full” flavor perception.

Additional objects will become apparent hereinafter and still otherswill be obvious to one skilled in the art to which the inventionpertains.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention relates to methodof preparing a coffee beverage using reduced amount of flavorant, whichcomprises:

-   -   (i) providing a first coffee composition comprising a colorant,        a flavorant, and a roasted and ground coffee, wherein the amount        of said colorant is C parts, and the amount of said flavorant is        (F−ΔF) parts, based on 100 parts by weight of said roasted and        ground coffee, and wherein C>0, (F−ΔF)>0, and (F×20.1%)≧ΔF>0;    -   (ii) extracting the coffee composition with water to make a        coffee brew; and    -   (iii) mixing a whitening agent and a sweetener into the coffee        brew to produce the coffee beverage. The flavor perception of        this coffee beverage is equivalent to the flavor perception of a        coffee beverage produced from the same steps (i)-(iii) using a        second coffee composition, which is the same as the first coffee        composition except that C=0 and ΔF=0.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to coffee compositioncomprising a colorant, a flavorant, and a roasted and ground coffee. Theamount of said colorant is C parts, and the amount of said flavorant is(F−ΔF) parts, based on 100 parts by weight of said roasted and groundcoffee. C>0, (F−ΔF)>0, and (F×20.1%)≧ΔF>0. The coffee composition can beextracted with water to make a coffee brew. A coffee beverage can beproduced by mixing a whitening agent and a sweetener into the coffeebrew. The flavor perception of such coffee beverage is equivalent to theflavor perception of a reference coffee beverage produced likewise froma coffee composition comprising no colorant, and F parts of the sameflavorant, based on 100 parts by weight of the same roasted and groundcoffee.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in theart to make and use one or more of the present embodiments. The generalprinciples described herein may be applied to embodiments andapplications other than those detailed below without departing from thespirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the present embodimentsare not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments shown, butare to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles andfeatures disclosed or suggested herein.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in thedescription of the invention herein is for describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused in the description of the invention and the appended claims, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Allpublications, patent applications, patents, and other referencesmentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities ofingredients, properties such as molecular weight, reaction conditions,and so forth as used in the specification and claims are to beunderstood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.”Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical properties setforth in the following specification and claims are approximations thatmay vary depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained inembodiments of the present invention. Notwithstanding that the numericalranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention areapproximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examplesare reported with relative precision. Any numerical values, however,inherently contain certain errors necessarily resulting from error foundin their respective measurements.

In various embodiments of the invention, an amount of colorant is usedto replace a portion of the flavorant present in a flavored coffeebeverage. Surprisingly, the flavor perception of the coffee beveragecontaining less amount of flavorant is equivalent to that of theoriginal coffee beverage containing a standard (i.e., higher) amount offlavorant.

An embodiment of the invention is represented by the first coffeecomposition as described in the SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION. The firstcoffee composition comprises a colorant, a flavorant, and a roasted andground coffee. The amount of the colorant is C>0 parts, and the amountof the flavorant is (F−ΔF)>0 parts wherein (F×20.1%)≧ΔF>0, based on 100parts by weight of said roasted and ground coffee. The second coffeecomposition, used as the control in the present invention, is the sameas the first coffee composition except that C=0 and ΔF=0. In otherwords, the second coffee composition comprises C=0 parts of colorant andF parts of flavorant, based on 100 parts by weight of the roasted andground coffee. In contrast, the first coffee composition contains Cparts more colorant, but ΔF parts less flavorant, than the second coffeecomposition. However, coffee beverages made from the first and secondcompositions are perceived as having a full amount of flavor (samestrength as coffee beverages madding using a standard amount offlavorant). In other words, by adding an appropriate kind and amount ofcolorant, up to 20.1% of flavorant may be reduced, but still giving thefull flavor perception (in other words, not at the cost of reducedflavor).

Roasted and Ground Coffee:

Roasted and ground coffee in the present invention may be made from anycoffee beans or mixture thereof, either in their natural state or afterbeing subject to various mechanical, physical, chemical, and/orbiological treatments. Coffee beans are the seeds of “cherries” thatgrow on coffee trees in a narrow subtropical region around the world.There are many coffee varieties, however, it is generally recognizedthat there are two primary commercial coffee species: Coffea arabica(herein “Arabica(s)”) and Coffea canephora var. robusta (herein“Robusta(s)”). Coffees from the species arabica may be described as“Brazils,” which come from Brazil, or “Other Milds” which are grown inother premium coffee producing countries. Premium Arabica countries aregenerally recognized as including Colombia, Guatemala, Sumatra,Indonesia, Costa Rica, Mexico, United States (Hawaii), El Salvador,Peru, Kenya, Ethiopia and Jamaica. Coffees from the species canephoravar. robusta are typically used as a low cost extender or as a source ofadditional caffeine for Arabica coffees. These Robusta coffees aretypically grown in the lower regions of West and Central Africa, India,South East Asia, Indonesia, and Brazil.

When removed from the coffee cherry, coffee beans normally have adistinctly green color and a high moisture content. Therefore, they arenormally dried prior to export, typically to a moisture content of about12%. Historically, solar drying was the method of choice, althoughmachine drying is now normally used due to the reliability andefficiency of the machine dryers available for this purpose. Afterdrying to a moisture content of about 12%, the coffee beans aretypically exported to consuming nations where they are processed intoconventional ground roast coffee by roasting followed by grinding. Anyof the variety of roasting techniques known to the art can be used toroast the green coffee in the process of this invention. In the normaloperation of preparing conventional roast and ground coffee, coffeebeans may be roasted in a hot gas medium at temperature ranges of about176.8-371.1° C. (350-700° F.), with the time of roasting being dependenton the flavor characteristics desired in the coffee beverage whenbrewed. Where coffee beans are roasted in a batch process, the batchroasting time at the hereinbefore given temperatures is generally fromabout 2 minutes to about 20 minutes. Where coffee beans are roasted in acontinuous process, the residence time of the coffee beans in theroaster is typically from about 30 seconds to about 9 minutes. Theroasting procedure can involve static bed roasting as well as fluidizedbed roasting. While any method of heat transfer can be used in thisregard, convective heat transfer, especially forced convection, isnormally used for convenience. The convective media can be an inert gasor, more typically, air. Typically, the beans are charged to a bubblingbed or fluidized bed roaster where they contact a hot air stream atinlet air temperature of from about 350° to about 1200° F. (about 177°C. to about 649° C.), at roast times form about 10 seconds to not longerthan about 5.5 minutes.

As well known to coffee professionals, it is conventional to refer tothe degree or extent to which coffee beans are roasted in terms of theirHunter color level. The Hunter Color “L” scale system is generally usedto define the color of the coffee beans and the degree to which theyhave been roasted. Hunter Color “L” scale values are units of lightreflectance measurement, and the higher the value is, the lighter thecolor is since a lighter colored material reflects more light. Thus, inmeasuring degrees of roast, the lower the “L” scale value the greaterthe degree of roast, since the greater the degree of roast, the darkeris the color of the roasted bean. This roast color is usually measuredon the roasted, quenched and cooled coffee beans prior to subsequentprocessing (e.g., grinding and/or flaking) into a brewed coffee product.However, color may be measured on finished product, in which case thecolor will be designated as such. The ground roast coffee of theinvention can be made from coffee beans roasted to any desired roastcolor from about 10 L (very dark) to about 25 L (very light).

Once the coffee beans are roasted, they are ground to a desired averageparticle size. Average particles sizes on the order of as low as 250 μm(microns) and as high as 3 mm, as measured by Laser Diffraction on aSympatec Rodos Helos laser particle size analyzer, are conventional.Coffee flakes can also be used.

What may also be used is a mixture of ground roast coffees havingdifferent densities, different Hunter L colors, different particlesizes, different moisture contents, and different combinations thereof(i.e., one ground roast coffee could have a low density and a highmoisture content while another ground roast coffee could have a mediumdensity and a low moisture content). Thus, the ground roast coffees canbe mixtures of regular and high density coffees, mixtures of regular andlow density coffees, mixtures of high and low density coffees, andmixtures of high, regular and low density coffees, if desired.

Flavorants:

The flavorants that can be used include those known to the skilledartisan, such as natural and artificial flavorants. These flavorants maybe chosen from synthetic flavor oils and flavoring aromatics, and/oroils, oleo resins and extracts derived from plants, leaves, flowers,fruits and so forth, and combinations thereof. Representative flavoroils include: cinnamon oil, hazelnut oil, cocoa oil, peppermint oil, oilof nutmeg, oil of sage, and oil of bitter almonds. Also useful areartificial, natural or synthetic fruit flavorants such as vanilla,chocolate, coffee, cocoa and citrus oil, including lemon and orange,grapefruit and fruit essences including apple, peach, strawberry,raspberry, and so forth. These flavorants can be used individually or inadmixture. Commonly used flavors include mints such as peppermint,artificial vanilla, cinnamon derivatives, and various fruit flavors,whether employed individually or in admixture. Flavorants such asaldehydes and esters including cinnamyl acetate, cinnamaldehyde, citral,diethylacetal, dihydrocarvyl acetate, eugenyl formate, p-methylanisole,and so forth may also be used. Generally, any flavorants or foodadditive, such as those described in Chemicals Used in Food Processing,publication 1274 by the National Academy of Sciences, pages 63-258, maybe used. Further examples of aldehyde flavorings common to flavoringcoffee include, but are not limited to acetaldehyde (apple);benzaldehyde (cherry, almond); cinnamic aldehyde (cinnamon); citral,i.e., alpha citral (lemon, lime); neral, i.e. beta citral (lemon, lime);decanal (orange, lemon); ethyl vanillin (vanilla, cream); heliotropine,i.e., piperonal (vanilla, cream); vanillin (vanilla, cream); alpha-amylcinnamaldehyde (spicy fruity flavors); butyraldehyde (butter);valeraldehyde (butter); citronellal (modifies, many types); decanal(citrus fruits); aldehyde C-8 (citrus fruits); aldehyde C-9 (citrusfruits); aldehyde C-12 (citrus fruits); 2-ethyl butyraldehyde (berryfruits); hexenal, i.e. trans-2 (berry fruits); tolyl aldehyde (cherry,almond); veratraldehyde (vanilla); 2-6-dimethyloctanal (green fruit);and 2-dodecenal (citrus, mandarin); cherry; grape; mixtures thereof; andthe like.

Flavorants can also be commercially obtained from suppliers. Forexample, Blueberry Crumb flavorant SD011340 is commercially availablefrom Mane, Lebanon, Ohio (Hereinafter “Mane”). Peach Cobbler flavorant742211 05103T is commercially available from Firmenich, Princeton, N.J.(Hereinafter “Firmenich”). Red Velvet Cake flavorant AF151900 iscommercially available from Arylessence, Marietta, Ga. (hereinafter“Arylessence”). Strawberry Shortcake flavorant NT-940-927-1 iscommercially available from Givaudan, Cincinnati, Ohio (hereinafter“Givaudan”). Pumpkin Pie flavorant, a mixture of 67.6% by weight ofPumpkin Kobocha Type 533484 2TP1554 and 32.4% by weight of Cinnamon &Cream Type 596025 2TP0504, is commercially available from Firmenich.Chocolate Fudge flavorant SD011675 is commercially available from Mane.Pistachio flavorant SD011853 is commercially available from Mane. Almondflavorant 26015 is commercially available from Henry H. Ottens,Philadelphia, Pa. (hereinafter “Henry H. Ottens”). Green Apple flavorantAE147862 is commercially available from Arylessence. Cherry flavorant742212 04210T is commercially available from Firmenich. Strawberryflavorant F109384 and Spiced Pear flavorant F107348 are bothcommercially available from Mane.

Colorants:

The colorants of the invention are used in amounts effective to producethe desired color. The useful colorants include pigments such astitanium dioxide. Colorants can also include natural food colors anddyes suitable for food, drug and cosmetic applications. These colorantsare known as FD&C dyes and lakes. The materials acceptable for theforegoing spectrum of use are typically water-soluble, and include FD&CBlue No. 2, which is the disodium salt of 5, 5-indigotindisulfonic acid.Similarly, the dye known as Green No. 3 comprises a triphenylmethane dyeand is the monosodium salt of 4-[4-N-ethyl-p-sulfobenzylamino)diphenyl-methylene]-[1-N-ethyl-N-p-sulfoniumbenzyl)-2,5-cyclo-hexadienimine]. Examples of colorant include CherryLiquid Color Solution 00385 (a mixture of FD&C Blue #1 and FD&C Red#40), Yellow Liquid Color Solution 00417 (FD&C Yellow #5), Lime GreenLiquid Color Solution 00317 (FD&C Green #3), Emerald Green ColorSolution 00308 (a mixture of FD&C Blue #1 and FD&C Yellow #5), CreamYellow Liquid Color Solution 00307 (a mixture of FD&C Yellow #5 and FD&CYellow #6), Blueberry Liquid Color Solution 00658 (a mixture of FD&C Red#40 and FD&C Blue #1), Blue Liquid Color Solution 00767 FD&C Blue #1),and Red Liquid Color Solution 00325 (FD&C Red #40), which are allcommercially available from Sensient, St. Louis, Mo.

In providing the coffee composition, the flavorant and the colorant (ifany) and the roasted and ground coffee may be blended into a homogenousmixture using known techniques. Preferably, the mixture is sealed intoan air-tight bag to prevent degradation during storage.

The first coffee composition (as well as the second coffee composition)is subject to an extraction step (i.e. step (ii) in SUMMARY OF THEINVENTION) using water to make a coffee brew, commonly known as blackcoffee. Typical methods for brewing roast and ground coffee suitable foruse with the invention include, for example, but are not limited toautomatic drip coffee makers (ADC), single cup coffee making devicesutilizing a single serving of coffee contained within a unit such as acup, disk, pod, or capsule, French press, electric espresso/cappucchinomakers, percolators, Moka pot/stove top espresso makers,drip-type/non-electric coffee makers, and coffee strainers.

As known to the skilled artisan, the amount of water used in this stepmay be in the range of from about 20 to about 30 ml per gram of thecoffee composition. For example, 1420 ml of water may be used to extract58.5 grams of the coffee composition, which indicates a usage of waterin the amount of 24.4 ml per gram of the coffee composition. Althoughthere is no specific limitation on the temperature of the water used inthis step, in preferred embodiments, the water temperature is from about185° F. to about 205° F., such as 195° F. The extraction step may becarried out with any suitable device, and in preferred embodiments, anAutomatic Drip Coffee (ADC) Maker is used.

In step (iii) of SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION, the coffee brew prepared instep (ii) is mixed with a whitening agent and a sweetener to produce thecoffee beverage. Any known whitening agents and sweeteners may be usedin this step. In an exemplary embodiment, the whitening agent may be aliquid such as milk in the amount of 7-15% (e.g. 11.1%) by volume of thecoffee brew. For example, 1 US fluid ounce of milk may be mixed into 9US fluid ounces of coffee brew to make a cup of coffee for consumption.

The sweetener may be a solid such as white granulated sugar in theamount of 1.9-2.2% (e.g. 2.07%) by weight of the coffee brew. Forexample, 5.5 grams of white granulated sugar may be mixed into 266.2grams of coffee brew to make a cup of coffee for consumption. In variousembodiments, one or more high intensity sweeteners and optionalsweetness flavor enhancers may be used to completely or partiallyreplace an amount of the regular white sugar, as along as the sweetnessremains unchanged.

Examples of whitening agent include liquid dairy components, such asliquid milk, liquid skim milk, liquid non-fat milk, liquid low fat milk,liquid whole milk, liquid half & half, liquid light cream, liquid lightwhipping cream, liquid heavy cream, liquid lactose free milk, liquidreduced lactose milk, liquid sodium free milk, liquid reduced sodiummilk, liquid dairy fortified with nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, E,K, or calcium, liquid high protein dairy, liquid whey proteinconcentrate, liquid whey protein isolate, liquid casein concentrate,liquid casein isolate, etc. Examples of whitening agent may include drydairy components, such as whole dry milk, non-fat dry milk, low fat milkpowder, whole milk powder, dry whey solids, de-mineralized whey powders,individual whey protein, casein dairy powders, individual caseinpowders, anhydrous milkfat, dried cream, lactose free dairy powder, drylactose derivatives, reduced sodium dairy powder, etc. The presentembodiments also include calorie-free dairy, cholesterol free dairy, lowcalorie dairy, low cholesterol dairy, light dairy, etc. Also includedare combinations of any of the above liquid or dry dairy components inany ratio.

Other suitable sweeteners that can be used in the invention are thosewell known in the art, including both natural and artificial sweeteners.These suitable sweeteners include, e.g. water-soluble sweetening agentssuch as monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides such asxylose, ribose, glucose (dextrose), mannose, galactose, fructose(levulose), sucrose (sugar), maltose, invert sugar (a mixture offructose and glucose derived from sucrose), partially hydrolyzed starch,corn syrup solids, dihydrochalcones, monellin, steviosides, andglycyrrhizin; water-soluble artificial sweeteners such as the solublesaccharin salts, i.e., sodium or calcium saccharin salts, cyclamatesalts, the sodium, ammonium or calcium salt of3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4-one-2,2-dioxide, the potassiumsalt of 3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4-one-2,2-dioxide(acesulfame-K), the free acid form of saccharin, and the like; dipeptidebased sweeteners, such as L-aspartic acid derived sweeteners, such asL-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester (aspartame) and materialsdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,492,131,L-alpha-aspartyl-N-(2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-3-thietanyl)-D-alaninamidehydrate, methyl esters of L-aspartyl-L-phenylglycerin andL-aspartyl-L-2,5,dihydrophenyl-glycine,L-aspartyl-2,5-dihydro-L-phenylalanine,L-aspartyl-L-(1-cyclohexyen)-alanine, and the like; water-solublesweeteners derived from naturally occurring water-soluble sweeteners,such as a chlorinated derivative of ordinary sugar (sucrose), known, forexample, under the product description of sucralose; and protein basedsweeteners such as thaumatoccous danielli (Thaumatin I and II).

High intensity sweeteners, including sucralose, aspartame, acesulfamepotassium, saccharin, neotame, and the like, and combinations thereof,may optionally be employed. High intensity sweeteners (and othersweeteners) may be expressed as an amount to yield the same sweetness asan amount of (referred to herein as “AYSSA”) another sweetener such assucrose. For these calculations, sucralose is considered to be 600 timesas sweet as an equal weight of sucrose, maltitol is considered to be 0.9times as sweet as an equal weight of sucrose, sorbitol is considered tobe 0.6 times as sweet as an equal weight of sucrose, and isomalt isconsidered to be 0.40 times as sweet as an equal weight of sucrose.Thus, for example, 1 g of sucralose is an AYSSA 600 g of sucrose.

Any suitable colorant or a mixture of different colorants may be used inthe present invention, as long as it renders the desired color in thecoffee beverage. There are different ways to scientifically characterizethe color of a product. For example, a Lab color space is acolor-opponent space with dimension L for lightness and a and b for thecolor-opponent dimensions, based on nonlinearly compressed CIE XYZ colorspace coordinates. As known to a skilled artisan, the dimensions of theHunter 1948 Lab color space are represented as L, a, and b, while thoseof CIE 1976 Lab color space are represented as L*, a*, b* (hereinafterCIELAB). The difference between Hunter and CIE color coordinates is thatthe CIE coordinates are based on a cube root transformation of the colordata, while the Hunter coordinates are based on a square roottransformation.

In various embodiments, the coffee beverage produced from the firstcoffee composition has a CIELAB coordinate of (L1 *, a1*, b1*). Incontrast, the coffee beverage produced from the second coffeecomposition has a CIELAB coordinate of (L2*, a2*, b2*). The kind andamount (i.e. C parts) of the colorant is such that 0<ΔL*≦7.89,−16.74≦Δa*<0, and 0<Δb*≦5.08, wherein ΔL*=L2*−L1*, Δa*=a2*−a1*, andΔb*=b2*−b1*. For example, the coffee beverage produced from the firstcoffee composition may have a CIELAB coordinate of (L1 *, a1*,b1*)=(44.01, 28.56, 31.01), and the coffee beverage produced from thesecond coffee composition has a CIELAB coordinate of (L2*, a2*,b2*)=(51.90, 11.82, 36.09). In some embodiments, the amount of thecolorant in term of “C parts” is in the range of from about 1.0 part toabout 3.0 parts, such as 1.8 parts, based on 100 parts by weight of theroasted and ground coffee in the first coffee composition. In preferredembodiments, the colorant comprises FD&C Red 40.

As described above, any suitable flavorant or mixture of flavorants maybe used in the present invention. In various embodiments, the amount ofthe flavorant present in the first coffee composition in term of “(F−ΔF)parts” may be simply calculated based on the values of F and ΔF,relative to 100 parts by weight of the roasted and ground coffee in thefirst coffee composition. For example, F=2.0-4.0 such as 3.08, and(F×20.1%)≧ΔF≧(F×13.0%). In preferred embodiments, the flavorantcomprises strawberry shortcake flavorant.

Strawberry shortcake flavorant is defined as a flavorant that imparts astrawberry shortcake taste in the coffee beverage. While it is difficultto give a scientific definition of strawberry shortcake taste, it ismore convenient to define the taste by referring to a representativerecipe for making a traditional strawberry shortcake, the taste of whichwill be clearly identifiable to a skilled food technologist. Forexample, a representative recipe that can be used to prepare a typicalstrawberry shortcake which consists of an 8-inch round cake and twolayers of strawberries topped with whipped cream will include thefollowing ingredients: 3 pints fresh strawberries, 0.5 cup white sugar,2.25 cups all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 2 tablespoonswhite sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅓ cup shortening, 1 egg (beaten), ⅔ cupmilk; and 2 cups whipped heavy cream. To make the strawberry shortcakethese ingredients are then combined in the following manner. First,slice the strawberries and toss them with ½ cup of white sugar, and setaside. Second, preheat an oven to 425° F. (220° C.) and grease and flourone 8 inch round cake pan. Third, in a medium bowl combine the flour,the baking powder, the 2 tablespoons of white sugar and the salt to forma mixture. Fourth, use a pastry blender to cut the shortening into themixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center ofthe mixture and add the beaten egg plus milk, then stir until justcombined to form a batter. Fifth, spread the batter into the greased andfloured pan and bake at 425° F. (220° C.) for 15 to 20 minutes or untilgolden brown. Let the cake cool partially in the pan on the wire rack.Sixth, slice the partially cooled cake in half, making two layers, andthen place half of the strawberries on one layer of cake and top withthe other layer of cake. Seventh, cover the stacked cakes with theremaining strawberries and top with the whipped cream.

The following examples are provided for illustrative purposes only, andare in no way intended to limit the scope of the present embodiments.

EXAMPLES

In the following examples, a Mr. Coffee ADC brewer was used to brewroasted and ground coffees. The materials used include (1) Dunkin DonutsOriginal Blend Coffee Lot #4,016,230,101,038, commercially availablefrom The J. M. Smucker Company, Orrville, Ohio; (2) N&A StrawberryShortcake type flavorant NT-940-927-1 with Batch #ED00030906,commercially available from Givaudan, Cincinnati, Ohio; (3) 00325 RedLiquid Color R (FD&C 40, Lot #5114505), commercially available fromSensient, St. Louis, Mo.; (4) Half & Half milk as the whitening agent orcreamer, commercially available from Smith Dairy, Orrville, Ohio; and(5) White Granulated Sugar as the sweetener, commercially availablefrom, and distributed by, U.S. Foodservice, Columbia, Md. 21045. Thecolor of all the samples were measured using LabScan® XE Dual-beamspectrophotometer, obtained from HunterLab Inc. (Reston, Va.).

1420 mL of filtered water (reverse osmosis) at a temperature of about195° F. was used to brew 58.5 grams of coffee samples. One fluid ounce(26.5 grams) of Smith's Diary Half and Half, 5.5 grams of whitegranulated sugar were added to a 12-ounce coffee cup, and then 9 fluidounces (266.2 grams) of freshly brewed Strawberry Shortcake flavoredcoffee (with or without colorant) was added to the creamer andsweetener. The samples were stirred, and then served to two panelistsfor evaluation of flavor perception. The evaluation direction was tochoose the strawberry shortcake flavored coffee with color that mostclosely tastes like the control sample without color.

Example 1 Control Sample (i.e. the Second Coffee Composition)

The control includes a homogenous mixture of 1.75 grams of theStrawberry Shortcake flavorant and 56.75 grams of Dunkin Donuts OriginalBlend as the roasted and ground coffee. No colorant was added in thissample (i.e. C=0 parts). The amount of the flavorant is therefore(F−ΔF)=F=3.08 parts, based on 100 parts by weight of the roasted andground coffee.

Example 2 The First Coffee Composition wherein ΔF=13.0% F

The coffee composition in this example includes a homogenous mixture of1.50 grams of the Strawberry Shortcake flavorant, 1 gram of 00325 RedLiquid Color R, and 56.00 grams of Dunkin Donuts Original Blend as theroasted and ground coffee. The amount of the colorant is thereforeC=1.78 parts, and the amount of the flavorant is therefore (F−ΔF)=2.68parts, based on 100 parts by weight of the roasted and ground coffee. Inthis example, ΔF=0.4 parts=13.0% F.

Example 3 The First Coffee Composition wherein ΔF=33.8% F

The coffee composition in this example includes a homogenous mixture of1.15 grams of the Strawberry Shortcake flavorant, 1 gram of 00325 RedLiquid Color R, and 56.35 grams of Dunkin Donuts Original Blend as theroasted and ground coffee. The amount of the colorant is thereforeC=1.78 parts, and the amount of the flavorant is therefore (F−ΔF)=2.04parts, based on 100 parts by weight of the roasted and ground coffee. Inthis example, ΔF=1.04 parts=33.8% F.

Example 4 The First Coffee Composition wherein ΔF=−0.6% F

The coffee composition in this example includes a homogenous mixture of1.73 grams of the Strawberry Shortcake flavorant, 1 gram of 00325 RedLiquid Color R, and 55.77 grams of Dunkin Donuts Original Blend as theroasted and ground coffee. The amount of the colorant is thereforeC=1.79 parts, and the amount of the flavorant is therefore (F−ΔF)=3.10parts, based on 100 parts by weight of the roasted and ground coffee. Inthis example, ΔF=−0.02 parts=−0.6% F.

Example 5 The First Coffee Composition wherein ΔF=20.1% F

The coffee composition in this example includes a homogenous mixture of1.38 grams of the Strawberry Shortcake flavorant, 1 gram of 00325 RedLiquid Color R, and 56.12 grams of Dunkin Donuts Original Blend as theroasted and ground coffee. The amount of the colorant is thereforeC=1.78 parts, and the amount of the flavorant is therefore (F−ΔF)=2.46parts, based on 100 parts by weight of the roasted and ground coffee. Inthis example, ΔF=0.62 parts=20.1% F.

Example 6 The First Coffee Composition wherein ΔF=6.5% F

The coffee composition in this example includes a homogenous mixture of1.61 grams of the Strawberry Shortcake flavorant, 1 gram of 00325 RedLiquid Color R, and 55.89 grams of Dunkin Donuts Original Blend as theroasted and ground coffee. The amount of the colorant is thereforeC=1.79 parts, and the amount of the flavorant is therefore (F−ΔF)=2.88parts, based on 100 parts by weight of the roasted and ground coffee. Inthis example, ΔF=0.2 parts=6.5% F.

Example 7 LabScan XE Hunter Color Measurements

All the coffee beverages produced from the coffee compositions ofExamples 2-6 have an average CIELAB coordinate of (L1*, a1*,b1*)=(44.01, 28.56, 31.01). The coffee beverage produced from thecontrol (i.e. the second coffee composition) in Example 1 has a CIELABcoordinate of (L2*, a2*, b2*)=(51.90, 11.82, 36.09).

Example 8 Panelists Evaluation of Flavor Perception

Two panelists (#1 and #2) were asked to taste the coffee beveragesprepared from the coffee compositions in Examples 1-6. Then thepanelists reported on which beverage tastes most like the controlbeverage prepared from the coffee composition in Example 1. The resultis tabulated in Table 1.

Coffee beverage, Color ΔF Panelist #1 Panelist #2 prepared from (L*, a*,b*) (% F) Flavor Evaluation Flavor Evaluation Example 1 (51.90, 11.82,36.09)    0 Control Control (Control) Example 3 (44.01, 28.56, 31.01)  33.8 Weaker than control Weaker than control Example 5 (44.01, 28.56,31.01)   20.1 Most like control Weaker than control Example 2 (44.01,28.56, 31.01)   13.0 Stronger than control Most like control Example 6(44.01, 28.56, 31.01)    6.5 Stronger than control Stronger than controlExample 4 (44.01, 28.56, 31.01)  −0.6 Stronger than control Strongerthan control

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may bemade to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to beunderstood as being among other acceptable examples. All suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included herein withinthe scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

1. A method of preparing a coffee beverage using reduced amount offlavorant, which comprises: (i) providing a first coffee compositioncomprising a colorant, a flavorant, and a roasted and ground coffee,wherein the amount of said colorant is C parts, and the amount of saidflavorant is (F−ΔF) parts, based on 100 parts by weight of said roastedand ground coffee, and wherein C>0, (F−ΔF)>0, and (F×20.1%)≧ΔF>0; (ii)extracting the coffee composition with water to make a coffee brew; and(iii) mixing a whitening agent and a sweetener into the coffee brew toproduce the coffee beverage; wherein the flavor perception of saidcoffee beverage is equivalent to the flavor perception of a coffeebeverage produced from the same steps (i)-(iii) using a second coffeecomposition, which is the same as the first coffee composition exceptthat C=0 and ΔF=0.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein theamount of water used in step (ii) is 20-30 ml per gram of the coffeecomposition.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperatureof water used in step (ii) is from about 185° F. to about 205° F.
 4. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein step (ii) is executed with anAutomatic Drip Coffee (ADC) Maker.
 5. The method according to claim 1,wherein C=1.0-3.0.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein thecolorant comprises FD&C Red
 40. 7. The method according to claim 1,wherein F=2.0-4.0.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein(F×20.1%)≧ΔF≧(F×13.0%).
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein theflavorant comprises Strawberry Shortcake flavorant.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the whitening agent is a liquid.
 11. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the whitening agent usage in step(iii) is 7-15% by volume of the coffee brew.
 12. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the sweetener is a solid.
 13. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the sweetener comprises white granulated sugar.
 14. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the sweetener usage in step (iii)is 1.9-2.2% by weight of the coffee brew.
 15. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the coffee beverage produced from the first coffeecomposition has a CIELAB coordinate of (L1*, a1*, b1*), the coffeebeverage produced from the second coffee composition has a CIELABcoordinate of (L2*, a2*, b2*), ΔL=L2−L1, Δa=a2−a1, Δb=b2−b1, 0<ΔL≦7.89,−16.74≦Δa<0, and 0<Δb≦15.08.
 16. The method according to claim 1,wherein the coffee beverage produced from the first coffee compositionhas a CIELAB coordinate of (L1*, a1*, b1*)=(44.01, 28.56, 31.01), thecoffee beverage produced from the second coffee composition has a CIELABcoordinate of (L2*, a2*, b2*)=(51.90, 11.82, 36.09).
 17. A coffeecomposition comprising a colorant, a flavorant, and a roasted and groundcoffee, wherein the amount of said colorant is C parts, and the amountof said flavorant is (F−ΔF) parts, based on 100 parts by weight of saidroasted and ground coffee; wherein C>0, (F−ΔF)>0, and (F×20.1%)≧ΔF>0;wherein the coffee composition can be extracted with water to make acoffee brew; wherein a coffee beverage can be produced by mixing awhitening agent and a sweetener into the coffee brew; and wherein theflavor perception of said coffee beverage is equivalent to the flavorperception of a reference coffee beverage produced likewise from acoffee composition comprising no colorant, and F parts of the sameflavorant, based on 100 parts by weight of the same roasted and groundcoffee.